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Widespread snow falls on the South Plains |
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Heavy, wet snow blanketing Shallowater Sunday (11 February 2024) morning. The picture is courtesy of Bruce Haynie. |
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A powerful storm system digging through the Four Corners provided widespread precipitation across the southern High Plains Saturday and Sunday, February 10th and 11th. |
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| Water vapor satellite loop valid from 9:01 pm to 11:41 pm on Saturday (10 February 2024). The Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) Flash Extent Density is also plotted on top of the satellite imagery. | |
| Initially, spotty light rain affected the region Saturday morning and early afternoon as a disturbance ahead of the primary storm system emerged over the region. A good chunk of the South Plains did see sunshine and mild temperatures Saturday afternoon, but that quickly changed Saturday night as colder air moved in behind a backdoor cold front. Immediately in advance of the colder air, a broken line of thunderstorms formed over the southern Rolling Plains and eastern Permian Basin Saturday evening, but quickly shifted off to the east. | |
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| Snow and slush covered roadway in southern Lubbock County Sunday morning (11 February 2024). The image is courtesy of John Lipe. | |
| Behind the cold front temperatures dipped into the lower 30s and upper 20s by early Sunday, just as precipitation expanded in coverage and intensity as the primary storm system started to exert itself. The rain changed to snow from northwest-to-southeast across the South Plains and Rolling Plains Sunday morning as the colder air moved in. The exception was across the far southern Rolling Plains, around Aspermont, where temperatures remained mild enough to keep the precipitation a cold rain throughout. | |
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| Lubbock WSR-88D radar animation valid from 3:16 pm to 11:53 pm on Saturday (10 February 2024). | |
| The snow, heavy at times, continued through much of Superbowl Sunday for most of the South Plains, southern Texas Panhandle and northern and central Rolling Plains, before finally diminishing from west-to-east in the evening as the upper level system shifted of into Oklahoma and North Texas. | |
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| A snowy scene near Lazbuddie, along with mostly wet roadways, Sunday afternoon (11 February 2024). | |
| The heaviest snow was concentrated across the northern South Plains and south-central Texas Panhandle where totals of a half foot to foot was common. The heavy snow created tricky travel thanks to slushy and snow-covered roadways. | |
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| Lubbock WSR-88D radar animation valid from 12:54 am to 10:52 am on Sunday (11 February 2024). | |
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Around Lubbock, temperatures hovered around freezing through the day on Sunday, while snow totals of 2 to 5 inches were common. Slushy roads quickly melted when the snow intensity waned, leaving wet roadways through the late afternoon and evening. However, where moisture lingered on the roadways, it became ice as temperatures fell into the teens and lower 20s Monday morning. A few locations where the heaviest blanket of snow was in place even saw temperatures tumble into the single digits early Monday. |
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| Snowy scene in Lubbock (left) and near Turkey (right), thanks to the mid-February snow. The pictures are courtesy of Jordan Salem and Blake-Brown, respectively. | |
| The heavy, wet snow did make for a beautiful sight, and was ideal for making snowballs, snowmen or just about anything you wanted to craft out of the snow. | |
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| Lubbock WSR-88D radar animation valid from 9:10 am to 12:39 pm on Sunday (11 February 2024). An additional radar animation, valid from 4:29 pm to 6:51 pm, can be VIEWED HERE. | |
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Altogether, nearly the entire South Plains region received at least a little snow, while a couple inches or more were common from the central South Plains and northern Rolling Plains into the southern Texas Panhandle. Even where snow was elusive, welcome moisture did on the southern South and Rolling Plains. |
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| Estimated snowfall from Sunday, 11 February 2024. The reports are from the National Weather Service, COOP observers and the public. | |
| Full sunshine and warming temperatures allowed for quick improvement on the roadways by mid-late Monday morning. Where the heaviest snow fell, temperatures were slower to warm, only reaching the 30s, while other locations that received less snow saw the mercury rise into the 40s and lower 50s. | |
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| RBG "True Color" satellite loop valid captured the day after the snow, on Monday, 12 February 2024. | |
| The mild temperatures and abundant sunshine quickly melted the snow, as is illustrated in the above animation. Locations where only a few inches of snow or less existed quickly melted away Monday afternoon, leaving the brief wintry visit as just a memory. However, the band of heaviest snow persisted through Monday, and even Tuesday, despite strong insolation and increasingly mild temperatures. | |
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| Low temperatures measured Monday morning (12 February 2024). High temperatures measured that Monday afternoon can be VIEWED HERE. Both maps are courtesy of the West Texas Mesonet (WTM). | |
| The widespread snow, in combination with the initial bout of rain, brought welcome moisture to the entire region. Collectively, the rain and melted snow brought 1/4" to 3/4" of liquid to many locations, with totals near or in excess of an inch to a number of spots off the Caprock. | |
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| Total melted precipitation, as measured by the West Texas Mesonet (WTM), over the mid-February snow event. A close up of the Lubbock area can be FOUND HERE. Radar-estimated and bias-corrected precipitation for the South Plains region over this wintry event can be VIEWED HERE. | |
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Officially, the Lubbock Airport measured 3.6 inches of snow and 0.47 inches of liquid (rain and melted snow) on Sunday, February 11th. The snowfall set a daily snowfall record, breaking the previous mark of 2.1 inches, set in 2010. Additional pictures from the wintry February day can be found below: |
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| View of downtown Childress Saturday evening (11 February 2024), courtesy of Pantex. | |
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| View of Friona Saturday evening (11 February 2024), courtesy of Pantex. | |
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| View of Tulia Saturday afternoon (11 February 2024), courtesy of Storm Search 7. | |
| Snow reports collected from this impactful mid-February weather day can found below: | |
Preliminary Local Storm Report...Summary
National Weather Service Lubbock TX
1130 AM CST Mon Feb 12 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1015 AM Snow Caprock Canyon St. 34.45N 101.07W
02/11/2024 E2.0 inch Briscoe TX TX Park Svc
1030 AM Snow 4 SSW Lubbock 33.53N 101.88W
02/11/2024 M2.5 inch Lubbock TX NWS Office
1117 AM Snow Shallowater 33.69N 101.99W
02/11/2024 M5.0 inch Lubbock TX NWS Employee
1125 AM Snow Smyer 33.59N 102.16W
02/11/2024 E6.0 inch Hockley TX Emergency Mngr
1126 AM Snow Levelland 33.58N 102.36W
02/11/2024 E3.0 inch Hockley TX Emergency Mngr
1127 AM Snow Ropesville 33.41N 102.15W
02/11/2024 E6.0 inch Hockley TX Emergency Mngr
1129 AM Snow Plainview 34.19N 101.72W
02/11/2024 E5.0 inch Hale TX Law Enforcement
1133 AM Snow Floydada 33.98N 101.34W
02/11/2024 E8.0 inch Floyd TX Emergency Mngr
1136 AM Snow Tulia 34.54N 101.77W
02/11/2024 E2.0 inch Swisher TX Law Enforcement
1139 AM Snow Littlefield 33.92N 102.33W
02/11/2024 M3.0 inch Lamb TX Law Enforcement
1146 AM Snow 6 NNE Lubbock 33.67N 101.82W
02/11/2024 M3.1 inch Lubbock TX ASOS
18Z Observation
0106 PM Snow 4 E Reese Center 33.59N 101.96W
02/11/2024 M5.2 inch Lubbock TX Co-Op Observer
0202 PM Snow Morton 33.72N 102.76W
02/11/2024 E2.0 inch Cochran TX Law Enforcement
0500 PM Snow Hart 34.39N 102.11W
02/11/2024 M7.0 inch Castro TX Co-Op Observer
Measured by CO-OP observer.
0503 PM Snow Plainview 34.19N 101.72W
02/11/2024 M14.0 inch Hale TX Broadcast Media
Picture sent via Slack by broadcast media at the 806
Pizza House in Plainview.
0525 PM Snow 6 NNE Lubbock 33.66N 101.82W
02/11/2024 M3.3 inch Lubbock TX Wx Observer FAA
Storm total snowfall as of 5:25 PM CST.
0600 PM Snow Abernathy 33.83N 101.84W
02/11/2024 M8.0 inch Hale TX Public
Multiple reports from the public showing snow
measurements of 7-8 inches in Abernathy.
0600 PM Snow New Deal 33.73N 101.84W
02/11/2024 E6.5 inch Lubbock TX Public
1200 AM Snow 4 SSW Lubbock 33.53N 101.88W
02/12/2024 M3.2 inch Lubbock TX NWS Office
0600 AM Snow 6 NNE Lubbock 33.67N 101.82W
02/12/2024 M3.6 inch Lubbock TX ASOS
Final total
0758 AM Snow Crosbyton 33.64N 101.24W
02/12/2024 M2.0 inch Crosby TX Co-Op Observer
0803 AM Snow Hart 34.39N 102.11W
02/12/2024 M8.5 inch Castro TX Co-Op Observer
0830 AM Snow 9 SE Floydada 33.89N 101.23W
02/12/2024 M5.0 inch Floyd TX Co-Op Observer
0858 AM Snow Vigo Park 34.65N 101.50W
02/12/2024 E10.0 inch Swisher TX Fire Dept/Rescue
0910 AM Snow Abernathy 33.83N 101.84W
02/12/2024 M9.0 inch Lubbock TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
0911 AM Snow Dimmitt 34.55N 102.32W
02/12/2024 M7.0 inch Castro TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
0912 AM Snow Plainview 34.19N 101.72W
02/12/2024 M11.7 inch Hale TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
0913 AM Snow Tulia 34.54N 101.77W
02/12/2024 M5.0 inch Swisher TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
0916 AM Snow Tahoka 33.16N 101.79W
02/12/2024 M1.0 inch Lynn TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
0927 AM Snow Littlefield 33.92N 102.33W
02/12/2024 M6.0 inch Lamb TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
0928 AM Snow Matador 34.02N 100.82W
02/12/2024 M4.0 inch Motley TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
0929 AM Snow Olton 34.18N 102.14W
02/12/2024 M11.0 inch Lamb TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
0930 AM Snow 7 E Paducah 34.01N 100.18W
02/12/2024 M3.0 inch Cottle TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
0930 AM Snow Morton 33.72N 102.76W
02/12/2024 M3.3 inch Cochran TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
0931 AM Snow Brownfield 33.18N 102.27W
02/12/2024 M1.5 inch Terry TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
0932 AM Snow Levelland 33.58N 102.36W
02/12/2024 M3.2 inch Hockley TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
0933 AM Snow 2 E Flomot 34.23N 100.95W
02/12/2024 M7.5 inch Motley TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
0933 AM Snow 7 NW Childress 34.50N 100.34W
02/12/2024 M2.3 inch Childress TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
0934 AM Snow 9 SE Floydada 33.89N 101.23W
02/12/2024 M5.0 inch Floyd TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
0935 AM Snow 6 NNW Ropesville 33.49N 102.19W
02/12/2024 M5.5 inch Hockley TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
0935 AM Snow 10 S Paducah 33.87N 100.30W
02/12/2024 M5.0 inch Cottle TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
0937 AM Snow Shallowater 33.69N 101.99W
02/12/2024 M6.0 inch Lubbock TX NWS Employee
Final Total
0937 AM Snow Southland 33.36N 101.55W
02/12/2024 M1.8 inch Garza TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
0938 AM Snow 3 S Tell 34.34N 100.39W
02/12/2024 M4.0 inch Childress TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
0939 AM Snow 7 SW Lubbock 33.50N 101.96W
02/12/2024 M2.5 inch Lubbock TX NWS Employee
Final Total
0939 AM Snow 3 W Woodrow 33.45N 101.90W
02/12/2024 M4.0 inch Lubbock TX NWS Employee
Final Total
0940 AM Snow 4 E Reese Center 33.59N 101.96W
02/12/2024 M5.7 inch Lubbock TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
0941 AM Snow Floydada 33.98N 101.34W
02/12/2024 M8.7 inch Floyd TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
1040 AM Snow Muleshoe 34.23N 102.73W
02/12/2024 M4.5 inch Bailey TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
1127 AM Snow Turkey 34.39N 100.90W
02/12/2024 M10.0 inch Hall TX Co-Op Observer
Final Total
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